Backup and Restore TiviMate Settings is something every TiviMate user needs to know before anything else goes wrong. One factory reset, one bad update, one new device and everything you built is gone. Your playlists, your EPG, your favorites, your channel groups, all of it wiped out in seconds. I’ve seen it happen too many times, and it’s completely avoidable. This guide walks you through the full process, step by step, so your setup is always protected no matter what device you’re on.
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Why Backup and Restore TiviMate Settings Should Be Your First Priority
Most people get TiviMate running perfectly and never think about backups until it’s too late. A Firestick gets replaced. An update breaks the app. A new Android TV box arrives and suddenly you’re starting from zero, re-entering your IPTV subscription, rebuilding your EPG sources, redoing your favorites from scratch. That process can take an hour or more depending on how customized your setup is. A backup takes thirty seconds. A restore takes one minute. There is no reason to skip this step.
What Gets Saved in a TiviMate Backup
Before you start, it helps to know exactly what TiviMate saves in a backup file. Everything included covers your added playlists whether M3U or Xtream codes, your EPG settings and guide sources, your favorites and custom channel groups, your player preferences and UI customizations, and your recording schedules if you use that feature. What is not included is the actual live stream data or video content, since that comes directly from your IPTV provider. Also worth knowing upfront the full Backup and Restore feature requires TiviMate Premium. The free version has very limited options in this area.
How to Backup TiviMate Settings Step by Step
Open TiviMate on your device and from the main screen go to the Settings gear icon in the bottom left corner, or press the Menu button on your remote. Inside Settings, navigate to General and scroll until you find the Backup and Restore section. Tap on it and you will see two options Backup and Restore. Select Backup. TiviMate will then ask where you want to save the backup file. Your choices are internal storage on the device itself, external storage like a USB drive or SD card if your device supports it, or Google Drive which is available in newer TiviMate versions. Google Drive is the best choice because if your device breaks or gets reset, the backup file still exists in the cloud. After selecting your location, confirm and the app creates a .tivimate backup file in under ten seconds. Your settings are now safe.
How to Restore TiviMate Settings on a New Device
If you got a new Firestick or Android TV box, the restore process is straightforward. Start by installing TiviMate on the new device. If you are on Firestick, follow our TiviMate Firestick installation guide to get it set up properly. If you are on a Windows machine, we also have a TiviMate Windows 11 guide that covers the full process. Once TiviMate is installed, open Settings, go to General, then Backup and Restore, and this time select Restore. TiviMate will ask for the location of your backup file. If you saved it to Google Drive, sign in and select your .tivimate file. If it was saved to internal or external storage, navigate to the correct folder. Confirm and TiviMate imports everything. After a quick restart, your setup looks exactly like it did on your old device. Playlists, favorites, EPG all of it back in place.
How to Enable Auto Backup in TiviMate
TiviMate Premium includes an automatic backup option that removes the need to remember manual backups. To enable it, go to Settings, then General, then Backup and Restore, and tap Auto Backup. Set the frequency you prefer, either daily or weekly, and choose your backup destination. Google Drive is the recommended choice here as well. Once this is on, TiviMate handles everything in the background. This is especially important if you are running a premium IPTV service with hundreds of custom channels and groups because rebuilding that manually is not something you want to do twice.
How to Backup TiviMate to Google Drive
Google Drive is the most reliable backup location because it survives any device failure, lets you access your backup from any device at any time, and the free 15GB storage tier is more than enough for TiviMate files. To use it, go to Backup and Restore, tap Backup Location, select Google Drive, sign in with your Google account, and confirm. From that point on your .tivimate file lives in the cloud. Whether you switch devices tomorrow or a year from now, your settings are ready to restore in minutes.
Common TiviMate Backup Problems and How to Fix Them
If you get a “backup file not found” error during restore, make sure you are navigating to the exact folder where the file was saved. If you used Google Drive, confirm the file actually finished uploading and is not stuck pending sync. If your settings did not fully restore, the most common cause is that the TiviMate version on the new device is older than the one that created the backup. Update TiviMate to the latest version first and try again. If your playlist shows up but no channels load, the backup successfully restored your playlist URL but your IPTV subscription may have expired. The backup saves the connection details, not the subscription itself. If the Google Drive backup option appears greyed out, that is a Premium-only feature and you will need to upgrade or use internal storage as a workaround.
Switching From Another IPTV App to TiviMate
If you are moving from a different IPTV player such as IPTV Smarters or GSE IPTV, TiviMate does not directly import settings from those apps. What you need is your M3U URL or Xtream codes from your provider. Add them fresh in TiviMate and then immediately create your first backup so you never have to do that again. If you are looking for a reliable IPTV service to pair with TiviMate, our best IPTV service guide covers everything we have tested, or you can start with a $1 trial for 24 hours to see the quality before committing to a full plan.
Final Thoughts
The Backup and Restore TiviMate Settings feature takes under a minute to set up and protects hours of work. Open TiviMate right now, go to Settings, General, Backup and Restore, run your first backup to Google Drive, and turn on Auto Backup so it happens automatically going forward. That is genuinely all it takes. If you want to get more out of TiviMate, check out our guides on TiviMate vs IPTV Smarters Pro, whether TiviMate Premium is worth it, and the best VPN to use with TiviMate. And if you need a solid IPTV subscription to go with it, contact us on WhatsApp we have premium plans starting at $1 for a 24-hour trial.
